New Delhi/ Kolkata: Two suspected cases of Nipah virus detected in West Bengal have put health authorities on high alert, prompting the Centre to rush expert teams and assure full support to the Mamata Banerjee government.
On January 11, the VRDL lab of ICMR-AIIMS Kalyani confirmed the cases as suspect samples, causing widespread concern throughout the state.
According to official sources, both suspected patients are male nurses working at a private hospital in Barasat in the North 24 Parganas district, and neither has any recent travel history to other states. They are being treated at the same hospital, and the state government is tracing contacts to find those who may have been exposed.
Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has written to and spoken with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, assuring her of all possible technical, logistical and administrative support from the Centre. The Union Health Ministry has activated the Public Health Emergency Operation centre at NCDC in Delhi and issued detailed guidelines on surveillance, testing, isolation and infection prevention to the state’s IDSP unit.
A National Joint Outbreak Response Team has been deployed to Bengal, comprising experts from AIH&PH Kolkata, NIV Pune, NIE Chennai, AIIMS Kalyani and the Wildlife Division of the Environment Ministry to assess whether there is an animal-to-human transmission link. The Centre has specifically advised strict implementation of contact tracing and containment measures to prevent any possible spread.
Nipah virus is a highly dangerous zoonotic infection that spreads from animals to humans, with initial symptoms resembling common flu but often progressing rapidly to severe disease and high fatality. India reported its first Nipah outbreak in Siliguri, West Bengal, in 2001, followed by multiple episodes in Kerala in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023. With over 90 cases reported so far and a high case fatality rate, early detection, isolation, and precautions remain the only effective measures in the absence of a specific treatment or vaccine.